Dusgadh Essence of LifeBook One of The Awakening Series

Sneak A Peek From The Book, Dusgadh Essence of Life by Author Margaret A. Daly

Please Enjoy This Short Excerpt

Our eyes met and bam-I swear I saw an angelic being standing there. Where the heck had this guy come from? He was absolutely delicious looking, and like a skilled ﬁsherman he cast his hook and reeled me straight in. I had no control over my ﬂuttering heart, I was under his spell. He smiled and I sat marveling at his brilliant wide smile, he reminded me of Chris Hemsworth as he walked towards me. I couldn’t take my eyes oﬀ of him and I struggled to keep my tongue from ﬂopping out and panting like a crazy cartoon cat. My heart pounded a little harder in my chest with every step he took as he closed the distance between us.Can he hear my heart racing? My hand instinctively went to my chest, as if I could rub the pitter-patter of my heart away.His smile remained as he looked me over. “The names Zeb. Mind if I watch?” Straightforward and to the point, I liked that. I matched his cool demeanor and replied with a nod, I was afraid if I spoke I would stutter over my words.Zeb took a seat behind me and I could feel him watching me the entire time. Chris was smiling sheepishly at Cassie, who was of course scooting closer to him. I bet Cassie’s the reason Chris is joining us. She gets all the hot guys. Typically I may have felt a bit jealous, but tonight my thoughts were preoccupied with the handsome stranger sitting inches behind me.Since I couldn’t ﬁnd my sage incense, I decided to cleanse the area with cedar. Cedar trees are said to be ancient and wise spirits and it is often used to cleanse new homes. I ﬁgured that it would be suitable for cleansing the area under the willow tree as well. I walked around all my friends, letting the smoke roll over the area surrounding them until I ﬁnally reached Zeb. His eyes were incredibly intense as they seemed to penetrate every pore of my body. I looked at him and, of course, I stumbled. A voice in the circle shouted out, “Have some more alcohol,” and giggles erupted from Cassie.“Oh, I will,” I retorted, slurring a bit as I laughed at myself. I ﬁnished the cleansing by saying, “Let any negative energy ﬂow from this area, to return in an active force.”I lit my candle and transferred the ﬂame from one to the next, passing them along. Returning to my seat next to Izzy, I went through the motions as I instructed them on what to do.“Okay, everyone set your candles on the ground in front of you and then hold hands. I will start the introductions, everyone just follow my lead.”We joined hands and I continued, “I am Ember, please hear me.”Izzy went next, well versed in this program. We had been through this many times together.“I am Matt and I have brought forth a virgin, please hear me.” His eyes ﬁxed on Chris as he mimicked a girl’s voice when he said virgin.Chris punched Matt, who was laughing hysterically at himself. “Shut up,” Chris muttered under his breath. As his eyes rested on mine, I gave him a look of indiﬀerence, hoping it would calm the embarrassment starting to wash over his face. It took a few minutes for the teasing and laughter to simmer down, but eventually everyone introduced themselves. Then I gave thanks to the Guardians, starting with the East and ending with the Guardian of above. Shrugging my shoulders meekly and sitting down, I concluded more to myself than my friends, “I think I got that right.”“You’re doing just ﬁne,” Zeb encouraged me from behind. His light touch brushed against my arm, sending shocks of electricity bolting through my body. I looked back at him and smiled shyly. Everyone else was quiet as all eyes were focused on me, waiting for me to continue.All I could think was Wow, he is so hot! I shook my head, trying to get rid of the image I’d just had of him naked. Once again, my words ﬂew into the night, “Please grant me access to the spirit world, I seek the company of spirits for this evening.” My mind fell back on Zeb, and I scooted my body backward, wanting to close the distance between us.Matt decided now would be a great time to announce he needed company for the night and reached for Izzy’s breasts, “Come on Matt, stop it!” Izzy giggled and stole a quick kiss from him.I started to tell everyone to keep it together and not separate their hands, “Don’t bre—” But I never got to ﬁnish…Suddenly, everything around us erupted into pandemonium. First, the air around us turned to a gusting wind, blowing my hair into my face. Next, the candles were blown out, leaving us in pitch blackness. The wind then stopped just as suddenly as it had started, and an eerie cold ﬁlled the air. I looked down in disbelief as my breath revealed a frosty cloud. Cassie screamed and the sound was horriﬁc; her voice was high and shrill, penetrating my ears. It sounded like something was ﬂung into the trees as branches snapped and leaves rustled. Then I heard something crash to the ground in a loud, disturbing thud. I heard Cassie’s voice again as she yelled out, “Chris!” A vicious sound of ripping ﬂesh ﬁlled the air.I scrambled to relight the candle and then I heard a moan from behind me. “Cassie? Izzy?” I couldn’t see anyone, it was still pitch black. Giving up on the candle, I closed my eyes and started to recite the Lord’s Prayer, but the words had vanished from my mind. I couldn’t remember a single word. The feel of icy ﬁngers gripped my shoulders, ﬁrmly suspending any attempt on my part to move. “Oh God save me,” I whimpered.A sinister laugh crept into my ears, “You can’t be saved from yourself. You should know better, Ember.” A thick air surrounded me like a bubble encasing me. I tried to get up and run, but my body seemed heavy and restricted, my movements slow as if I were stuck in gelatin.

About The Book

"Ember Malloch has no idea her life is about to get turned upside down. Besides the fact that she sees the dead on occasion, she lives an ordinary mundane life.

Her sister warned her not to provoke the spirits, but Ember has a mind of her own and she defies Becky at every turn. Now, her life as she knows it will be changed forever, as an unbridled strength is unleashed upon her.

She will have an awakening like no other as she learns her past, and discovers who she is…" ​